Laboratories

The Geology Department is housed in the Edmunds Building and is well-equipped to support a variety of different field-based projects as well as geophysical, hydrogeological, mineralogical, petrological, field-, lab- and computer-based research.
Physical facilities include a sample preparation room with large and small rock saws, 6″ and 2″ jaw crushers, Bico disc mill, etc. For mineral characterization and whole rock geochemical analyses, the department houses X-ray diffraction (Rigaku Ultima Iv: 2008) and X-ray fluorescence (Panalytical Axios: 2010) laboratories (XRF Lab Page).
Sample prep for these labs includes dedicated powdering (Retsch ball mill; Rocklabs and Spex mills with WC and Alumina heads), fusion and bead polishing equipment and a 40 ton press for pressed powder preparation.
Other labs and equipment include an X-radiography laboratory; two paleomagnetic laboratories; a laser particle size analyzer; a cathodoluminescence instrument; a carbon coulometer system; a mineral separation lab (including a Gemini table, heavy liquids a Frantz magnetic separator); an array of stereographic and polarizing microscopes; a GIS-equipped computer classroom; a wet lab; an excellent rock, mineral and fossil collection; a diverse collection of geophysical field instruments (for seismic, magnetic, GPR, DC resistivity and EM studies, GPS and surveying, etc.); and, an array of hydrogeological equipment. The Geology Department is also a cooperative member of Pomona’s EDX-equipped SEM facility housed in the Physics Department.